On Monday healthcare assistants (HCAs) across Teesside will be going on strike over their pay. The strike is the first in our region and is an escalation of the long running dispute as part of UNISON’s Pay Fair For Patient Care campaign.
The campaign’s aim is to resolve the issue of healthcare assistants being paid as a band 2 whilst carrying out the duties of a band 3. The Trusts involved are North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
What our members want is clear – to have the respect, recognition and reward they deserve for carrying out duties that should be paid at band 3. This means moving all healthcare assistants to the top of band 3 with fair back pay and no clawbacks on previously paid enhancements.
Healthcare Assistants and Clinical Support Workers play a crucial role providing care to the most vulnerable patients. But their contribution has been undervalued, with many of them not being paid the rate they deserve.
The majority of HCAs are currently employed on a Band 2. Under the Agenda for Change Job profiles, this involves washing, feeding, bathing and caring. However, most HCAs are doing the work of a Band 3, which involves a range of delegated clinical tasks such as taking bloods, recording observations and doing catheterisations.
Strike action is a last resort and can still be avoided if the Trust do the right thing and give a firm commitment to back-pay eligible staff up to 1 July 2019 as a minimum. This is a reasonable and moderate request. Many HCAs have been carrying out clinical duties for decades.
This campaign has my full backing and the backing of UNISON, the biggest union represent HCAs. Standing together we can win this, as we have in other parts of the country where we have won so far over 65 million for healthcare assistants and clinical support workers as part of the Pay Fair For Patient Care Campaign.
We can do this – let’s take a stand to get HCAs across Teesside the respect, recognition and reward you are owed.
Clare Williams
